Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are holding space and laughing about a recent viral interview moment that has taken hold of social media.
The two Wicked actors sat down for an interview with Variety, released on Friday, alongside the film's director Jon M. Chu, and spoke about a clip that's unofficially become the internet video of the year. Erivo and Grande broke down each part of the interview with Out Magazine, where journalist Tracy Gilchrist famously told the actors that people are “holding space” for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.”
“I didn't know what any part of it meant,” Grande said, as Chu laughed. “I didn't understand the first sentence, and then I definitely didn't understand what was happening — how [Erivo] responded.”
In the clip, which was shared on X on November 21 by user @MashaParty and now has more than 68 million views, showed Gilchrist explaining reactions she's seen online for “Defying Gravity" — the powerful ballad that ends Wicked Part 1. Erivo begins to react emotionally in the clip, saying, “I didn't know that that was happening.”
“I've seen it, yeah,” Gilchrist continues. “I don't know how widespread — but you know, I am in queer media.”
Grande remained silent during the clip but turned to Erivo to offer her support — which meant grabbing her finger. “I just wanted to be there," she told Variety. "Cause I knew something big was happening and I didn't know how to be there."
In Grande's mind, she realized the interviewer had said one thing, while Erivo had taken it to mean another. It's unclear what that was, or if the two actors had been doing so much press over the last several months that maybe Erivo herself didn't even know.
“She said that she had seen it because she was in queer media. I honestly didn't know what that meant. Am I also in queer media? Great. Let's both be there,” Erivo said
The clip took off, inspiring merchandise and memes — immediately entering into the cultural lexicon. Many people online were also confused as to what the interviewer meant when she mentioned people were “holding space” for a 20-year-old song. Gilchrist told Variety in an interview that “holding space” means “being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something.” She also said that for context, the interview with Grande and Erivo — a queer woman — took place a day after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time.
“The Trump administration is targeting LGBTQ+ people via Project 2025. When Cynthia sings ‘I’m through accepting limits,’ there’s power in that. She plays a character who is othered," Gilchrist explained. “There’s a lot of resonance there right now for anyone who is marginalized. For me, holding space is listening to those lyrics anew and finding solace or inspiration.”
While Gilchrist's intentions with the moment were deep and meaningful in an uncertain time for many, even Grande herself missed that part.
"I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I okay? Did I not hear something?'' Grande said. “I'm just really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did because I felt like, 'Oh I'm not broken.'”
Despite the endless jokes and maybe some people finding the whole thing ridiculous, Erivo is taking it all in stride and laughing along with everyone else.
“I do love how the world has like, gone with it," Erivo said. “I love that it's become vernacular, which is really fun, that people are constantly saying ‘really holding space for that.’”
